Early Season Success

[packhuntr]

Had a great fall so far. Been a big bunch of work and a quite a bit of huntin, but couldnt be happier with the outcome. Everything killed so far makes either P&Y, or the B&C.

Start with the first down, Opening morning, my Arch Antelope. A miscue in the field and resulting oops antelope, but quite happy with him.

[packhuntr]

My mule deer killed day 4 of the archery hunt.

[packhuntr]

My friends first archery mule deer killed day 6 of the archery hunt.

[packhuntr]

Pic of the two deer together, capping a great mule deer hunt.

[packhuntr]

My wifes rifle antelope, killed opening day first light.

[packhuntr]

Green gross scores as follows,

My antelope 71 gross
My mule deer, 175 velvet gross
Friends mule, too drunk to score it, unreal...? Will net pope.
My wifes antelope, 84 5/8 green gross, net 83 4/8

Good luck to all this year, go at em hard and have fun boys!

[gunslinger]

wow man, what a season is right, man that first antelope looks real good to me, is that a little bit of junk on him or am i seeing things, looks like maybe 1 or 2 non typical points there.

[honda450]

Dang your doing really good. I havn't even been out yet. Fine lookin critters.

[gunslinger]

My wifes rifle antelope, killed opening day first light.

Wow now there a goat, holey smokes man. look at the cutters on that thing. buty pic too man, deffintly one for the wall.

[packhuntr]

wow man, what a season is right, man that first antelope looks real good to me, is that a little bit of junk on him or am i seeing things, looks like maybe 1 or 2 non typical points there.


Thanks man, ya hes got afew nubs and tits, very nice bow buck, just doesnt have the goods to score. Very fortunate that he will Pope!

[gravedigger]

Some great animals and awesome field photo's! Congrats to all.

[Rocks]

I'd say that's a heckuva start to the season. Great animals, your mulie and your wifes loper are awesome. Congrats!

[packhuntr]

Wow now there a goat, holey smokes man. look at the cutters on that thing. buty pic too man, deffintly one for the wall.

LOL!! I know man, unreal eh, what a slammer. Cutters go 7 1/2 and 7 1/4. The thing is a sloth, just disgusting! I might have to throw up a score sheet later today on that thing,,

[buckbrushoutdoors]

great aniamls and even better pictures!

[alpineguy]

Beautiful. Great job. Lots of respect for you guys that bowhunt especially in open country. I want to get back into it next year as I haven't bowhunted for 5 years.

[hunter10]

Sweet!! Love your wifes antelope and your mulie!! Awesome animals!

[IR_mike]

All nice animals, congrats on a great start to the season!!

Thanks for posting.

[hunt_and_fish]

Nice going pack. That's a very impressive start to the season.

[sheephunter]

Way to go Pack...congratulations. Not only some incredible trophies but your field photos are outstanding as well.

[Deer Hunter]

Nice work! thanks for the pics!

Hopefully that big goat doesnt shrink down too much. Way to scout and come through.

[shooter]

Great pics and nice animals!! Congrats!!

[jaylow?]

how big are the bases on your mule . hes beauty . way to go on all your luck so far this year. keep it up. bud.

[shedcrazy]

Great animals and photos...looks like the season is turning out great for you, family and friends. Should settle down the BS talk now from some of the others.
Again congrats!

[sheepguide]

Great job Bud! Some great trophies there. Hope the awesome season continues for you.
Darcy

[cohod]

Another great season there Pack nice work!
Awesome field photo's as usual.

cohod

[Chet]

That is quite a haul Packhunter! Congrats on a bunch of great trophies. You wife's Antelope is remarkable!

[Rockymtnx]

CONGRATS to you and the others on some awesome animals Wes!
Some dandys for sure.
I can't say I have seen many antelope with 7"+ prongs.

[Stop Staring at my Rack]

Looks like you are having a great season! Awesome pics!

[slopeshunter]

Congrats to all 3 of you! Some incredible animals.

[nube]

Great Job PACK. You got into some good critters this year so far. Let' s hope you find a big whitetail to round things off nicely for the season.

[goldscud]

Great looking critters. Thanks for sharing your well prepared pics.

[Springer]

Well you definitely know how to get-er-done Packhuntr !! Great pictures in the field as well. Theres a lot of guys that dont that big of Antelope with their rifles let alone Archery Tackle.
Congrats to you, Your Wife and your hunting pal.

[pottymouth]

Congrats Pack, some great critters you guy's got. Those are both some great lopers, Had to take a second look at that ones cutters to make sure I was seeing them right.

[packhuntr]

Thanks boys! The wife and I are pretty thankful. Im not sure the amount of work put in would equal out to what we were fortunate enough to take, and to say that one could have expectations of such things is simply crazy. Ive been after a few real slammer mule deer the last few years, but not able to connect the dots. There is a reason they are called deer of a lifetime. I like to think Im in training right now,,, if such a moment in a hunters life should arise. The antelope is simply not what we were looking for, you dont even dream something like that. Having found and continuing searching for solid 80 inch stuff was the goal,,, never did I think Id find something like that while scouting. 3 months in the field this year, and Im not sure 3 years would be considered enough time invested. Truly a great year. Thanks again boys.

[TreeGuy]

I just cannot imagine how big that 'chit eatin' grin' was on yer yap posting this thread! :lol:

As a big 'ol congrats, my friend, I shall present you with the gift of a proper signature line......

"Wack 'em and Pack 'em! :D"

Well done, sir, well done. ;)

[packhuntr]

Lol! Thanks man, it does have a ring, but Im not so sure the ring nessesarily fits!! LOL How goes it on the front line with those w/tails and mules?

[TreeGuy]

Lol! Thanks man, it does have a ring, but Im not so sure the ring nessesarily fits!! LOL How goes it on the front line with those w/tails and mules?

Ring? The only ring you'll get from me ya ornry bugger shall be one fitted for yer nose! :lol:

All is quiet on this front for now. Work is busy with the fall rush and the bossman has been in the NWT for two weeks chasing moose. I don't start to get serious until the latter part of October, and try and just get the 'Shrubs' out a few times prior. Things will get 'interesting' soon enough. ;)

[packhuntr]

Good luck out there Tree!

I was looking around and quite possibly this antelope my wife killed may be the biggest antelope ever shot by a woman in Alberta, and taking a rough guess should go comfortably top 15 to 20, dry/net pending obvously. Anyone able to help verify 2001 on to present? I cant find data for these years. Just curious is all really.

[Mulestalker]

That's some great animals Pack,congrats to you and your wife!

[SugarCreek]

Nicely done Pack.....congrats to you, your wife and your buddy......Marco

[whitetail Junkie]

Great Aniamls pack,they are all very impressive,I bet that there's even a good chance that your wife shot the biggest antelope in alberta so far this fall.i've seen lots of pictures of goats taken this year on the forum,guys in town and other random people via e-mail and so far your wife's is bar none the biggest i've seen in 2010,way to go!

[packhuntr]

how big are the bases on your mule . hes beauty . way to go on all your luck so far this year. keep it up. bud.

Sorry Jlow missed your question. Bases if memory serves me are at 6 1/2. Thanks!

[packhuntr]

CONGRATS to you and the others on some awesome animals Wes!
Some dandys for sure.
I can't say I have seen many antelope with 7"+ prongs.

I cant say Ive ever seen it alive in Alberta either. I have seen a picture of an antelope from Alberta that had 7 inch cutters, but I think these are the best cutters Ive ever seen in my life. A guy starts knocking back on the cutter measurements and you have a little ways to go before he even starts getting to that 80 inch mark. Everything else on him is great, big 80 inch antelope, those cutters do some strange stuff to the score sheet though! LOL

Anyone know how much to expect this antelope to dry in 60?

[Rockymtnx]

those cutters do some strange stuff to the score sheet though! LOL
Looks like both his 3rd and 4th D measurements are above the prong.....?
What was his length?
If you have time one day I'd love to see the score sheet just for interest sake.

Anyone know how much to expect this antelope to dry in 60?
I read a interesting experiment that a B&C measurer did. He came up with an average number of 1.8% shrinkage on a antelope that were dried at room temp for 60 days. He also found that some antelope had lost up to 7% over a 25 year period.

[whitetail Junkie]

Anyone know how much to expect this antelope to dry in 60?

throw the horns in the Freezer:)

[Rackmastr]

Awesome animals, great photos, overall truly an awesome start to the year!!!

[AB2506]

Great season so far. Love your wife's pronghorn. Simply awesome! All that scouting paid off, I think you earned these animals. Congratulations.

[crazyfish]

thats some great looking animals already, congrats ! :sHa_shakeshout:
Now please remain n your couch for the rest of the season and allow the res of us to have some fun !:sign0161:

[ram crazy]

Congrats on some awesome animals Pack!!! I really like the pics thanks for sharing.

[ishootbambi]

Anyone know how much to expect this antelope to dry in 60?

some good looking animals there dude. i saw 2 other bucks with prongs like that, but neither had the length or mass to go with. mrs. pack is the antelope queen so far this year. antelope shrink more than any other animal, sheep and goats next. horns made of hair shrink more than antlers which are bone. . if you really care about B&C, they frown on it but the fridge is the place for it, NOT the freezer. freeze it and the moisture in it will expand and burst the molecules which will shrink it MORE than if left at room temp. then have it measured by a B&C official scorer on day 60. the sooner its official the higher it will be. i dont think you're that unscrupulous, but dont try to stretch it by removing the horns and stuffing something in there to boost the base measurements. a sharp eyed scorer will see it and disqualify it.

[packhuntr]

thanks boys!

Rocky, you are right, both 3rd and 4th D measurements are above the prong. I will throw up a score sheet tonight after work.

There'll be no cheating in the dry period with this antelope. Some good ideas though LOL! The buck shouldnt have a problem, In my opinion its a dry net book antelope all day long. If he nets book it will be fair. Im quite certain a big bunch of book antelope should not have netted where they did, but the fewer there are of those in there the better and more accurate records keeping programs are.

[Islander]

What a great start to the season, Pack! Congrats on some great animals and pics!

[Saskbushman]

Wow. What a fantastic season you, your family and friends are having. Fantastic field photos and awesome animals. Thanks for posting and congrats to you all.

[packhuntr]

Heres that score sheet rocky. This one was done by Kim Morton the day it was killed,, we drove clear to hell and gone to get to Jenner so she could get the antelope into thier study. It was her day and part of the experience...I took a photo of the sheet for comparison sake later. Its been scored by myself, another guy and Bio-Kim. All 3 scores were within 1/2 inch of each other, but this one was the only one done on a score sheet, it will be easiest to read out. Hope ya dont need a magnifying glass! Im no computer wizard.

[Duk Dog]

Congrats Pack on quite the season so far. Great job on the field pics.

[Chet]

if you really care about B&C, they frown on it but the fridge is the place for it, NOT the freezer. freeze it and the moisture in it will expand and burst the molecules which will shrink it MORE than if left at room temp. then have it measured by a B&C official scorer on day 60. the sooner its official the higher it will be. i dont think you're that unscrupulous, but dont try to stretch it by removing the horns and stuffing something in there to boost the base measurements. a sharp eyed scorer will see it and disqualify it.

It has to dry at room temperature. The fridge is not an option. The whole idea is that even old trophies that are measured well after they were harvested or found aren't at a major disadvantge to recently killed trophies. Also B&C wants to avoid hunters trying to get their trophies measured in a mad panic immediately after they kill it. I have no doubt that Packhunter will follow the drying period requirements appropriately but for anyone unclear on the rules, here is a quote from the B&C site:

DRYING PERIOD
Official measurements cannot be taken until the antlers, horns, skulls or tusks have air dried at normal room temperature for least 60 days after the animal was killed. If the trophy has been frozen prior to cleaning, as is often the case with skulls, the 60-day drying period begins once the cleaning process is complete. The drying process for trophies that have been boiled or freeze-dried starts the day they are removed from the boiling pot or freeze-drier, respectively.

In the case of picked up trophies, the 60-day drying period also applies. If it is clear from the condition of the antlers, horns, skulls or tusks that the trophy has dried for more than 60 days, one does not have to wait another 60 days from when it was found to measure it. However, it is necessary to enter the approximate date the animal died on the line provided for the date of kill on the score chart. Trophy owners may be asked to provide a brief history for “picked up” trophies or trophies of unknown origin to substantiate the approximate date of death.

[packhuntr]

Thanks for clearing that up abit Chet. Makes a guy wonder about alot of people, their harvests, and the lengths they are willing to go to... Not a new problem by any means I suppose though.

[Deer Hunter]

How much shrinkage do you expect from antelope? Given that it was a real wet year it has the potential to shrink up quite a bit i figure.

[packhuntr]

Thanks for clearing that up abit Chet. Makes a guy wonder about alot of people, their harvests, and the lengths they are willing to go to... Not a new problem by any means I suppose though.

Ooops, to clarify, that didnt sound right and was not directed at anyone, just a statement.

Thats a good question Deerhunter? Rocky kinda touched on that abit above, but I just dont know what to expect exactly,,, not used to dealing with this!?

[Walleyes]

Some good animals Pack.. Congratulations to you guys on some awesome kills..

[woyer4]

wow!! great job

[shorthair ptr.]

Congrats Pack, you deffinately get into some fine critters. Hope to share my own pic and story again of a muley. Two full weeks to get er done.:sHa_shakeshout:

[DNORTHERNSNIPER]

Great animals...keep up the good sucess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:sHa_shakeshout:

[steve]

Great critters Pack!

[209x50]

Great job Pack, love those cutters on your wife's antelope. WOW!

[Rockymtnx]

Thats a good question Deerhunter? Rocky kinda touched on that abit above, but I just dont know what to expect exactly,,, not used to dealing with this!?

Pack, when you do officially get it scored let’s compare the score to the original three green scores and see how close it is to the 1.8% shrinkage theory.

[antlerguy]

Wow!! What a season and it has only begun. Way to go and congrats to you and the mr's. Now I guess that you ( or maybe your better half) just need to outdo lasy years whitey.:)

[packhuntr]

Wow!! What a season and it has only begun. Way to go and congrats to you and the mr's. Now I guess that you ( or maybe your better half) just need to outdo lasy years whitey.:)

Thanks man. One could only hope eh! All the best with those northern whitetails! 2 short hair mule capes and an antelope cape coming your way, Later!

[packhuntr]

Pack, when you do officially get it scored let’s compare the score to the original three green scores and see how close it is to the 1.8% shrinkage theory.

Ya, gonna have to do that Rocky. This was the best of the 3 scores, looks good ya know eh! LOL. I think where the 2nd D (2nd circumfrence) is taken will be a major differentiating factor between the official and my initial 84 inch score. I didnt keep the marks on him and just scored him last night again and came up with gross 83. Wether or not a big portion of moisture dries out right away would be good to know right now,,, as I cant see me being that different on 2 scores only 12 days apart????? I do know 1/8 of an inch out when marking 1/4's on length for d's can make a big difference, like I said especially pertaining to that D2 placement.... Where exactly the call will be made without an obvious cutter swell spot will be interesting. A guy can beat it to death all he wants, its gonna be the official scorers discretion in the end. I just hope he nets in, we'll dance a jig if he does,,, if not, we'll dance a jig anyways! Found our B&C scorer for this one and afew more heads (P&Y), pretty good hand and has measured some magnum sh*t, so we're looking foreward to the big day! Hope your feeling fresh Chet! LOL

[BrownBear416]

Congrats Pack to you and yours on some fine animals...

Hard work and dedication trumps all else when it comes to slammer animals..

Great job setting your trophies up for field pics as well..

Not many people get it done year after year on big critters like you do..

I think when a speed goat dies the moisture is sucked out of the horns pretty quick and then it slows down,If your wife's buck gross scored over 84 inch I cant see it shrinking 2 inch plus in 60 days.

Jeff

[ishootbambi]

hey pack....with antelope threads popping up and B&C discussions i got to thinking about this one. so.....how did the missusses goat fare? was curious to know just what the shrinkage was and that kinda jazz.

[ishootbambi]

Thanks for clearing that up abit Chet. Makes a guy wonder about alot of people, their harvests, and the lengths they are willing to go to... Not a new problem by any means I suppose though.

i just reread this whole thread and this quote sticks out for me. i know of a case where a 9 inch droptine was "accidently" broken off as the buck skidded to a stop on the ground. the official score is a little better than 170 net typ, but the point was recovered and repaired. the mounted deer now appears as he did running across the field, but has his place in B&Cs book. i cant imagine the book being that important to me, but you are correct.....the lengths some will go to is pretty wild.

anyway, im sure many are pulling for your wifes buck to make it. you guys sounded like it mattered and there isnt anything wrong with that.

[depopulator]

Nice work W. Those are some great hunts you put together and beauty trophies. Kudos for getting it done with the archery gear too.

[whitetail Junkie]

i just reread this whole thread and this quote sticks out for me. i know of a case where a 9 inch droptine was "accidently" broken off as the buck skidded to a stop on the ground. the official score is a little better than 170 net typ, but the point was recovered and repaired. the mounted deer now appears as he did running across the field, but has his place in B&Cs book. i cant imagine the book being that important to me, but you are correct.....the lengths some will go to is pretty wild.

anyway, im sure many are pulling for your wifes buck to make it. you guys sounded like it mattered and there isnt anything wrong with that.

Man,I could'nt Imagine Breaking even 1cm off of any of my bucks antler's,just so it will net better??? WTF there are some people who sure think differently.

another thing that I think is Goofy is when guys Fix deer that have broken tines.I can see if you find the broken tine some day,but making fake one's at the taxidermist out of plastic??? If I look at my bucks antler's I want to look at the buck I shot,broken tines or not,NO plastic!

[hardy]

Nice goats. Whats the wait time on a rifle hunt for them? I have a level 5 priority and was hopin to get drawn this fall, is 5 enough?

[packhuntr]

hey pack....with antelope threads popping up and B&C discussions i got to thinking about this one. so.....how did the missusses goat fare? was curious to know just what the shrinkage was and that kinda jazz.

We had the antelope officially scored in Dec. Gross 81 7/8, Net 81 2/8. The D2 measurements had to be pulled drastically down to comply with the B&C rule pertaining to cutter swell. It really beat the antelope up. Chet and I discussed it, and in the end both of us feel it was taken in the right spot. It did suck seeing so much bone that he grew that could not be scored, and a part of me half way feels that the antelope was getting more massive as he went up, but without a definate cutter swell, you have to hardline on the rule. I believe the antelope pretty well dried out of the book, as many do. By my numbers he lost 5/8. It is what it is, and in the end the wife is one lucky lady to be able to call the buck hers. He has been submitted to B&C for inclusion into the 28th awards program. Chet did an awesome job, and we have to again thank him and his family for thier hospitality help and time. I took 5 other heads for official P&Y scores, and let me tell ya, dont let the heads pile up, shes a good way to smoke an entire half a day! Thanks again Chet, and thanks for the congrats fellas!